I can well~believe Debbie Reynolds actually died of a "broken heart"/extreme distress on learning of her daughter's passing ... as losing one's child (regardless of that "child's" age) must surely be the saddest, most tragic occurrence for ANY normal parent to bear.

Likewise, Alan ... it doesn't surprise me to read of the death of your elderly aunt so soon after that of the sister for whom she herself had cared so devotedly. Alas, this is all too common among older people.

Having lost BOTH my own parents to heart attacks - my dad just after New Year, 1989 at 76 and my mum, two days after Christmas 2000 at 84 - those were sorrowful enough occasions. But, at least each of them died suddenly and peacefully, following relatively long, active lifespans ... free, for the most part, from serious illnesses, for which my brother Douglas and myself can be thankful.